


We Are Here For You.

by StrangestBlossom



Series: Vynn Hawke [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Comfort, Depression, F/M, Friendship, Gambling, Implied Sexual Content, Nudity, Revenge, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-21
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-09 21:25:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1998354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrangestBlossom/pseuds/StrangestBlossom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the death of her mother, Vynn Hawke feels helpless. Gets her revenge. And finds comfort in a lover, and happiness with friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Are Here For You.

Curled up into a pitiful ball, Vynn wept. Shaking with grief beneath her blankets. The loss of her mother was too much, too painful. Having lost her to a- She couldn't think of that deranged bastard without wishing she had torn him limb from limb like the women he mutilated. Without wanting to set something on fire. Without want to cry and drown Thedas in her tears. Maker, that sounded so dramatic. But it was the truth. She wanted to disappear. To vanish from Kirkwall and forget about its problems. Ignore the Qunari and the Viscount. Damn the Templars and Mages.

Mages. A mage had done this. A mage had taken her mother away. he wasn't driven by any demon. The only abomination was his own madness. It sickened her, knowing that a man so similar could do this. The same thing flowed in her blood, the same energies in her veins. This knowledge brought tears to her eyes.

Losing her mother to such a repulsive act, Vynn nearly wished she was just murdered. Killed for the coin in her pocket, and left in some forgotten alley in Lowtown. But the horrendous things done to her by that...That...

Vynn choked back another sob. Dammit all. She was a sniveling mess. Everyone expected her to hold up against tragedy like an invincible wall. But she couldn't. She broke down. She shattered like fragile glass. Disappointing the people who expected better from her. She hated disappointing people. But how could she just bounce back from this? There was no chance for closure with a proper funeral. With a proper funeral, people would know. know what horrible things were done to Leandra and the other women. Know that her mother was cursed with magic even though she was no mage. So when Vynn had stopped mourning over the monster her mother had become, she set her aflame. It was Ferelden tradition, after all. So she prayed that her mother and the other women could find peace after all this. 

The story that Aveline fabricated, which involved everything except the demons and necromancy, spread like wildfire through the city. Everyone in Kirkwall knew what happened to Mistress Amell. And everyone from refugees in Darktown to the Viscount himself sent their condolences. Friends Leandra had made in Lowtown sent baked goods up with Gamlen. And even the most stuck-up nobles sent bouquets of flowers. Enough that the entire mansion smelled of them. But when Vynn found one of white lilies she felt nothing but anger. Grabbing the vase, the clay cracked under the palm of her hand from the heat she was letting off. She threw it into the fireplace, satisfied when she heard the sound of it breaking. Watched the lilies burn until they were nothing.

While her rage had escaped her, it left grief in its wake. So here she was, a blubbering mess bundled up in her blankets. If someone were to look at her now they wouldn't think that this bawling woman was the same Hawke who braved the Deep Roads. She felt pathetic. She must be if she couldn't protect her mother. She-

The doorknob clicked.

Vynn's eyes snapped open. Feeling something other than grief was strange. And hearing the creak of her bedroom door caused anxiety. Her magic flared in response, boiling her blood. Bolting upright she saw the door opening. The panic tickled her throat, coaxing her to scream. But her lungs wouldn't allow it, the air getting caught somewhere along the way. Why couldn't she breathe? Why was she panicking? Who was it? Why are they here? What if it's him? Oh Maker, what if it's Carver?

If it truly was her brother, he wouldn't know. It had only been a few days since the incident. The message Gamlen sent wouldn't have been received. She would have to explain why Mother wasn't there. Have to see the pain he would suffer. Have him give her her well deserved blame. Swallowing thickly, Vynn did her best to keep what little food she had eaten in her stomach. Trying and failing to prepare herself to face Carver. She held her breath.

Then released it.

Instead of the Grey Warden she was expecting there was another. Anders stood in the doorway. Though she gave a silent sigh of relief, she was suddenly very aware of her puffy, red eyes and the dried tears upon her face. Worrying about her looks now? How very Orlesian of her. Though what did she expect? She hadn't left her home in days. If he wasn't worried before, he certainly would be now.

There was a silence between them, It was so unusual for the two of them to be speechless. Vynn, who was always at the ready with a snide remark. And Anders, who was always reading off his manifesto or talking about mages. But here they were, both unnaturally quiet. Waiting for the other to say something.

"Vynn."

There it was. She should have expected it. The silly little game they played. The constant tease she gave, and his excuse to taste his name on her lips. Though her name must've tasted like ash, for his voice sounded miserable.

He would be awaiting an answer, and normally she would've responded mockingly. But parting her lips took effort. And with how dry her mouth felt, talking seemed impossible. Trying to speak resulted in her voice cracking with a sob. Putting a hand over her mouth, she clamped her eyes shut. Bowing her head. It was humiliating to find herself incapable of speech. Especially to someone she trusted so much. She knew he would never think any less of her for still being upset. She knew it and she still didn't want to show weakness. Dammit, she hated this, hated herself.

"May I come in?"

She nodded, still refusing to speak. Dropping her hand to her lap and opening her eyes, she watched him come closer. Taking a few breaths to control herself. If she had control of herself, she could stop crying. Stabilize her emotions and speak. If she had control her mother would still be here. Maker, she had no control. 

"I know nothing I say will change it, I'm just...I'm sorry."

The bed sank next to her as Anders took a seat. Placing his fingers upon her cheek, she looked up at him. Like usual, his eyes were sunken and they had bags under them. But they were deeper than normal.

"You were lucky to have her as long as you did."

"Lucky?" Her strangled voice was hardly able to get out.

"You could've been taken by the Templars and sent to the Circle. Then you never would've seen her again."

While her voice was trembling as much as she was, Vynn scoffed. Completely unsurprised by his words. "It's always about the plight of mages with you, isn't it?"

"It's the truth. If you went to the Circle, you wouldn't hear from her ever. You never would've known your sister was a mage, because she would've been sent to a different Circle. And I never would've met you. So I count myself lucky for that."

The faintest of smiles tugged at the corners of her lips. "We might've met if I was sent to the Circle Tower in Ferelden. Or maybe here, in the Gallows."

"Perish the thought..." Anders mumbled.

"But then I might be made Tranquil for setting something on fire. Probably a Templar."

Anders sighed with a slight frown, causing a small chuckle to rise from Vynn. "I'm glad you still have your sense of humor. No matter how terrible it may be."

Having a smile on her face, a laugh from her throat, a joke from her lips was a pleasant and welcome change. She had avoided being in the presence of others. Bringing them down with her seemed unfair, but now she could see that they would bring her back up. The numbing cold that she felt before was melting away. "Oh c'mon, Anders. You love burning Templars."

Pressing his lips to her forehead, he whispered: "I love you." He smiled to her, but it faded quickly. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

And with that, all the pain and guilt returned in one swift hit to her stomach. "I can imagine..." She spoke softly.

"You've been in here for days."

She felt the urge to fight. To defend herself. Bringing her up from her sadness also reignited the fire within her, when before the embers were cold. "You spend days in your clinic." She retorted.

"People need me there. And everyday since the incident, I have left my clinic to drop by and ask Bodahn how you were doing." Anders frowned. "He says you haven't been eating."

"I have been!"

He didn't believe her. "What was the last thing you've eaten, then?"

Vynn's eyes flickered to an empty box that sat upon the bed. Anders reached for it.

"Chocolates?" He asked in disbelief.

"Some Orlesian noble sent them. Said it would help with the pain."

"Did it?"

"Well, after eating them all at once, I was still sad. And I had a stomach ache." There was a pause as Vynn seemed to be remembering something. "Mother would've told me that it was my own fault and ask me if I learned my lesson. And I would laugh her off, probably say something sarcastic, and she would smile. I loved making her smile." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I miss her."

"I know."

"I just keep thinking maybe if I did something different, she would still be here. That I didn't try hard enough."

"She wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

"Gamlen blamed me."

"Your uncle is an ass. And he's not in the best position to place judgment."

"But he's right! If I had done something-"

Anders whispered her name and she went silent. He reached his hand up, wiping away tears she didn't know she had shed. He amber eyes met hers. "I was there, you did everything you could." He smiled at her, before she overwhelmed him with a kiss.

Her lips were desperate. Craving another person's attention. But it was more than that. It was about having someone close. Loving someone. Loving him. And as they separated, she told him that. And he returned the confession.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Dragon Age or any of its related media. It belongs to its rightful owners at Bioware. This piece was intended for entertainment only.


End file.
